Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-03-12
The Haunted Room.
Robert j. Burdette.

Name, and was shifting all the coasts
of Pennsylvania with it, sparing nei-
ther pronounced nyther) young nor
old, and wearing at my belt the scalps
ofmany pale-faced audience. One
night reached Erie, the pleasant,
just as the clocks in the Lord Mayors
castle struck twenty-one. 1t was bit
ter, biting, singing cold, and there
was no ambulance at the station,
while there was good hotel there.
/ went in and registered, and a man
of commanding presence, tailor built
clothes, and brown beard of most re-
fined culture, followed me, and, I'M
der my plebeian scrawl, made the
register luminous with his patrician
cognomen. ] stood little in awe of
this majestic being, about as little as
usually stand in the presence ofany
majestic creature, and when in a deep
bass, commanding voice, he ordered
a room, had great mind-some-
thing that / always carry with me
when travel-to go out and get
him one. The gentlemanly and ur-
bane night clerk, who also seemed to
be deeply impressed-as is the habit
of the night clerk-with the gentle
man'sresponsible-to- any-amounttoot
on-sawmbel, said he was sorry but he
had but one vacant room and it con.
tanned but one bed. "Still," he said,
as became man who was bound to
stand for his house if it hadn't a bed
in it, sit was a very wide bed, very
wide and quite long. Two gentle
men could sleep in it quite comfort
ably, and if" But the command
ing Being at my side said that was
quite altogether out of the question
entirely. Quite. He was sorry fol
the-here he looked at me, hesitated
but finally said-gentleman, but hi
couldn't share his room with him
He was sorry for the-gentleman anC
hoped he might find comfortable
lodgings, but he couldn't permit hin
to occupy even portion of his bed
Then the clerk begged pardon, ant
was very sorry and all that, but thi
other gentleman registered first, anc
it was for him to say what DISPOSE
ton should be made of this lonely
room and solitary bed. FASTENED t.
assure the majestic being that it wa
all right; he was welcome to two
thirds of the room, all the looking
glass and one-half of the bed. "No,'
he said very abruptly, 81 will 81
here by the stove and sleep in a chair
| thank you, sir, but / would no
sleep with my own brother. Iprefe
a room to myself" / meekly tol,
him that | did not know what kin,
of a man his brother was, but N
J doubt he did, and therefore / mus
conclude that he wasn't a fit man
: sleep with. But his brother was GU
: ofthe question, and if he wanted pal
l of my couch, he might have it an
| welcome, and | would agree not
t think of his brother. mo, sir" h
t said, 81 will sleep in no mans bed.
e | said wouldn't either, if l WASH
= sleepy, but when / was sleepy
V didn't care; I'd sleep with the Kin
e of England or the President, and
: wouldn't care cent who knew it.
S Well, / went to bed. I curled u
4 under the warm, soft blankets, an
s heard the wind shrek and wall an
i whistle and yell-how like all ere;
g ton that wind can blow in Erie-an
g as the night grew colder and cold,
e every minute, ! fell asleep and dream
It ed that heaven was just forty-eigl
s miles west of Dunkirk. About ha
e past two or three O'Clock there can
s laundering rap at the door, ar
with vague half-waking impressic
IS in my dream that somebody from IL
Il other place was trying to get in,
n said:
It "What is it,"
h "It is l." answered asplendid vol
" which ] recognized at once. 81 a
d the gentleman who came on the ira
II with you"
is eyes," 1 answered, land what
l, the matter"
l, The splendid voice was trit
D. humble as it replied:
:; 81 have changed my mind abo
A. sleeping with another man."
'e $50 have II" I yelled, so joyous
that the very winds laughed in mt
h ry echo. $50 have /! / wouldn't e
E. out of this warm bed to open the do
as for my own brotherw
OF u 1 will close this story here. If
r. should write the language that we